Sometimes good cinematography is so good that you don't notice it and sometimes good cinematography presents frames that make you want to hit the pause button and just stare. 'The Third Man' is, in my opinion, one of the best examples of the latter. Directed by Carol Reed and photographed by Robert Krasker, the film features absolutely stunning shots in the dim setting of battered post-war Vienna. Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten star. [From the Anatomy of a Classic website.]

*****

'The Third Man' utilized real Vienna locations so vividly and in such an inspired fashion, that the real-life degradation by war heavily supported the framework of the film's narrative. The Oscar winning and arguably flawless cinematography by Robert Krasker gives the film a distinct characterization, using tilted angles and the battered real-life scenery to create a crooked visual platform for a world of crooked characters. Notice the thrilling chase scene, in which the sewer-like locales are used as canvases for the shadows of the characters. The shadows are stretched out of proportion, almost like that of a sewer rat, grotesquely scavenging for the victim. Krasker's contrasting use of dark blacks and luminous whites perfectly juxtaposes the sense of optimism/pessimism brought on Europe by the war. [From the DVD Times website.]